Brad Marchand suspended again, will miss Bruins’ game against Carolina Hurricanes
Brad Marchand is trending again on social media and lately that has been a bad thing for the Boston Bruins winger.
Marchand on Wednesday was suspended for six games by the NHL for his late-game run-in with Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry in Tuesday’s game. Marchand first punched Jarry, then popped him in the mask with his stick.
The first game of the Marchand’s suspension will be Thursday night when the Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes at TD Garden. The Bruins also will be missing team captain Patrice Bergeron, who is recovering from an upper-body injury.
On top of that, goaltender Tuukka Rask announced his retirement Wednesday on social media. The Bruins’ former Vezina Trophy winner was in net when the Canes blasted the Bruins 7-1 in Boston on Jan. 18 -- a loss that caused Marchand to chirp on Twitter about the Canes’ revenues and the NHL players’ escrow payments.
The situation with Jarry was more egregious, and for Marchand a lot more costly. As the Pens were closing out a 4-2 win, Marchand reached down to hit Jarry on the side of the head, then popped him on his goalie mask with his stick as he was being led away by a linesman.
Marchand’s suspension came after an in-person meeting with NHL Player Safety on Wednesday. It was his second of the season and eighth of his career for the talented but unpredictable forward, who leads the Bruins with 21 goals and 49 points. this season.
The Canes have won the first two games against the Bruins this season, shutting out Boston 3-0 on Oct. 28 at PNC Arena. Bergeron, Marchand and Rask have tormented the Hurricanes in the past, notably in Bruins’ playoff series wins over Carolina in 2019 and 2020.
Before the game in Boston last month, Marchand took issue when compared to Canes center Vincent Trocheck. On his Instagram account, Marchand said that was like comparing a Lamborghini with a Prius.
The Canes then scored five times in the first period, ending Rask’s night. Bergeron scored the Boston goal but Marchand had a quiet night. Trocheck did not have a point but had a game-high five hits in the game.
Canes forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi, who scored twice in the game, remains in the NHL COVID protocol.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 9:37 AM.
